Minnesota Crop News

By Angie Peltier and Ryan Miller, UMN Extension crops educators, Ryan Huffman, Iowa State University Digital Ag Innovation Lab senior research manager and Jorden Kuntz, founder of Biosphere Drone Solutions Showcasing drones at a field day in northwest Iowa, 2024. Credit: Ryan Huffman. On March 19, 2025, Ryan Huffman, Iowa State University Digital Ag Innovation Lab senior research manager and Jorden Kuntz, founder of Biosphere Drone Solutions, joined UMN Extension crops educator Ryan Miller for a discussion about drones in row crop agriculture. This was the penultimate weekly episode of the 2025 Strategic Farming: Let’s talk crops! webinars.   To watch this episode: http://z.umn.edu/StrategicFarmingRecordings ISU Digital Ag Innovation Lab Working as agriculture researchers at a public university typically results in publications in a peer-reviewed journals, where the over-arching goal is to ‘move the ball further down the field’ in the quest for better understanding of the biologica...

It's the end of March, which means it's time for the annual Spring Fertilizer Outlook. What are field conditions like throughout Minnesota? What early fertilizer application options might MN growers want to consider? Which early fertilizer application practices might MN growers want to avoid, and why? What are growers excited - or hesitant - about? What about N carryover credits in this more typical season? Our four panelists weigh in. TRANSCRIPT Guests: Fabian Fernandez, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Jeff Vetsch, U of M researcher (Waseca) Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional Resources: Are you overspending on fertilizer? FINBIN Don't apply commercial fertilizers to snow-covered frozen soils Nutrient Management — Click here to listen to all Nutrient Management Podcast episodes. For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management ...

Eric Yu, UMN Extension Crops Educator, David Nicolai, UMN Extension Crops Educator, Ryan Miller, UMN Extension Crops Educator, Debalin Sarangi, UMN Extension Weed Scientist Photo: Liz Stahl As we approach the upcoming growing season, staying informed about the latest herbicide innovations is crucial for effective crop management and maximizing yields. The agricultural landscape is continuously evolving, with new herbicide products regularly introduced to help farmers manage weeds, protect crops, and address resistance challenges. In this article, we will highlight some of the newest herbicides on the market and those set to launch soon. It is important to note, however, that many “new” herbicides are either new formulations of existing active ingredients or new premixes of these ingredients. Below are some of the key herbicides to watch for in the season ahead, featuring products from AMVAC, BASF, Bayer, Corteva, FMC, and Syngenta. We also recommend referring to the “ Take Action Herbi...

By Jochum Wiersma, Extension agronomist The minimum acceptable germination rate for registered and certified classes of seed of wheat, barley, oats, and rye is 85%. The ragdoll test, using seeds not treated with fungicidal seed treatment, is used to determine the official germination rate that will be reported on the seed tag. The Minnesota Crop Improvement Association does not expect the problems to be so severe and widespread that there will be a shortage of quality seed for this upcoming season. Nevertheless, I suspect that there are plenty of individual seed lots that will not meet the minimum acceptable germination rate of 85% despite rigorous cleaning/conditioning given the problems we encountered with Fusarium head blight and preharvest sprouting.  The same will be true for farm-saved seed. If the seed lot is to be sold as either a certified or registered class of seed, the tag will have to list not only the actual germination rate but also the word ‘substandard’. That, ...

Ed Usset, Grain marketing economist at the Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota was the guest for the March 19th podcast of Minnesota CropCast. Since 2001, Ed has been writing and executing marketing plans for his mythical farms; a corn and soybean operation in southwestern Minnesota and a wheat farm in the Red River Valley of northwestern Minnesota. During the podcast Ed emphasized the economic importance for grain growers to complete the final marketing of their 2024 crop still in storage by this July. Ed also provided suggestions and target prices to help grain producers forward price their grain based on understanding seasonal market patterns after harvest especially during times of lower commodity prices. He also reviewed the potential financial impacts and concerns of economic constraints on the export of feed grains in 2025.  Finally, Seth Naeve, University of Minnesota Soybean Extension Specialist discussed the needs and demands for soybean exports ...

By: Claire LaCanne, University of Minnesota Extension Educator – Crops, Angie Peltier, University of Minnesota Extension Educator – Crops, and Jennifer Brhel, University of Nebraska Extension Educator The March 12th session of University of Minnesota Extension’s Strategic Farming: Let’s Talk Crops program focused on data-driven decision making. This webinar featured Angie Peltier, University of Minnesota Extension Educator – Crops, and Jennifer Brhel, University of Nebraska Extension Educator joined by moderator Liz Stahl, University of Minnesota Extension Educator - Crops as they discussed “Data Driven Decisions: Determining what really affects the bottom line.” On-farm research Keep things consistent There are several things to think about when conducting on-farm trials. It is important to plan properly - which is not always simple, but is doable when you keep these considerations in mind. Try to keep as many factors consistent as possible. Compare treatments in an area with the same...

By: Chryseis Modderman, Extension manure management educator Composting is as much an art as it is a science. When we think of composting, we often jump to the main components of temperature, moisture, particle size, oxygen, and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. Certainly, those are important, but let’s back up a step and look at choosing a site and size to put the art and science of composting to work. Where is best? As in real estate, it’s all about location, location, location. The ideal composting location is out of the way and can be accessed with hauling and turning equipment. Know your local setback requirements to avoid runoff into sensitive features. Look for a flat area, outside of areas that flood, with a non-permeable base to avoid leaching. Some areas have rules about what needs to be used for a base, so make sure you check your local regulations. Also, try to be considerate of your down-wind neighbors (a colleague recently told me his neighbor is building a “Mt. Vesuvius of Crap”...

United States map of soil colors at a depth of 25cm (credit: NRCS) The new nationwide project called “Probing Our Country’s Soil Health” has launched, and 65 Minnesota farmers are being asked to participate. The project centers around improving a tool called the Soil Health Assessment Protocol and Evaluation (or SHAPE). “One of our nation's greatest resources is our soils,” said Fabian Fernandez, University of Minnesota Extension nutrient management specialist, who is co-leading the project in Minnesota. “The more we know about our soils, the better we can manage them.” SHAPE is an online tool designed to interpret soil health measurements, monitor soil health change, and offer management practice alternatives for improving soil health. The goal of the project is to collect 13,000 soil samples across the U.S. (~6,000 fields) from different soil, climate, and management conditions. The SHAPE tool will be available as a free web-based app for easy soil health scoring. 65 Minnesota fa...

A lot of the conversation about nitrogen management centers around environmental issues, and in particular, nitrate levels in groundwater and surface water in Minnesota. Today we’ll discuss N management and nitrate levels in groundwater. What are some effects of elevated nitrate levels in both infants and adults? When were elevated levels first discovered in Minnesota? How do different soil types factor into nitrogen loss to goundwater? What's being done to address this issue at state, county and municipal levels? How do changing climate conditions affect how we proceed? All this and more on today's episode. TRANSCRIPT Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional resources: Nitrate in community water systems Drinking water in Minnesota How to interpret a water test for nitrate Minnesota Nitrogen Fertilizer Management Plan Click here to listen to all Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast episodes. F...

Dr. Anthony Hanson,  Regional Extension Educator - Field Crops Integrated Pest Management Cold winters help prevent many potential pest insects from establishing in Minnesota or require species that cannot survive our winters to migrate up from southern states each year. Extreme cold can also knock back species that are established here. The cold can be a welcome event for farmers from a pest management perspective and has left many farmers wondering if 2025 will see a reduction in pest numbers, especially now that meteorological winter is over. The forecasts for the 2025 growing season are mixed depending on specific location within the state. Each year, I try to get a rough snapshot of how winter may have helped us out with reducing pest insect populations by using temperatures on the coldest night of the year. So far for most of the state, Jan. 21 had been the coldest night during winter 2024-25 with morning low air temperatures near -25 °F in the central portion of th...

By Haley Johnson, Pesticide Management Unit Supervisor, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Reviewed by Sally Raymond, Extension Educator and Commercial/Noncommercial Pesticide Applicator Program Manager, and Tana Haugen-Brown, Extension Educator and Private Pesticide Applicator Program Manager, PSEE. Chlorpyrifos pesticides have faced significant regulatory changes over the past few years. The most recent regulatory change came in December 2024, when the EPA proposed revoking most tolerances for food and feed crops, with restrictions based on location, application rates, and protections for farmworkers and vulnerable species. In Minnesota, only alfalfa, soybeans, sugar beets, and winter wheat are expected to retain approved uses. Pesticide users should be aware of key regulatory deadlines impacting the sale, distribution, and use of chlorpyrifos: April 30, 2025 – Sale and distribution of certain chlorpyrifos products must cease, except for export or disposal. June 30, 2025 – Use of ...

By: Bailey Tangen, Extension educator, Marcelle Lewandowski, Senior research and Extension coordinator at the Water Resources Center, and Anna Cates, Extension soil health specialist Tracking the use of practices like reduced tillage and cover crops that promote healthy soil is challenging but critical to gauge progress towards regional and state goals. By combining remote sensing, USDA Agricultural Census data, and state-reported cost-share, we’ve pulled together a county-level dataset that can serve as a baseline for comparison to track changes in Minnesota’s ag practices over the coming years. Here’s a quick peek at the current state of Minnesota’s soil health. Minimizing disturbance Producers minimize disturbance by decreasing the number and intensity of tillage passes across their fields. According to the USDA, minimizing disturbance is used on over one-third of agricultural acres (around 8 million acres) statewide. Strict no-till practices show significant variability across the ...